Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 2x05 - "Charades"

[eschaton]

In less deft hands, this script could have easily just been a farce - like the odious Profit and Lace from Deep Space Nine - or a meh snoozer like You Are Cordially Invited.

Fortunately, this episode is actually trying to do a great deal more than simply being a lighthearted Trek comedy involving a "body swap" of sorts and a wedding. It largely dispenses with the fish-out-of-water comedy aspects in its third act, pivoting to real emotional turmoil for Spock, Chapel, T'Pring, and Amanda. It touches on deep and universal aspects of relationships, both familial and romantic. It succeeds, astonishingly, at both being one of the better Trek comedies and being a decent character study.

I have a hard time thinking of anything wrong with this episode. The choice to have the noncorporeal aliens talk like customer service representatives was...a choice...but it helped add levity to an episode where first contact was not the driving force. I thought the charades scene itself was a bit painful to watch, but that's more because of my own personal bias against "cringe comedy" - the scene was effective at getting me to feel vicarious embarrassment, so it worked.

 

[Trekker4747]

ok, this episode was so much fun. It was funny, there was a great problem to overcome, Ethan Peck is fantastic as Spock, the crew interactions were wonderful. Loved all of it, and Chapel has been fantastic this whole series. And that moment in Spock's quarters at the end? Allow me to fangirl a moment SQUEEEEEEEE

Ok, I think I'm done. So good.

I know. Wasn't that kiss great?! Squeeeee!

*Me fanboying*

 

[Unique]

I hope it's delightfully silly.

*bippity boppity BOO*

Granted.

 

[cooleddie74]

Best episode since last season.

 

[Dar70]

So did Spock and Chapel do the Vulcan Vertical or did they just make out..???

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

So did Spock and Chapel do the Vulcan Vertical or did they just make out..???

"Tune in next week to find out!" .... well, maybe.

 

[cooleddie74]

No wonder Spock carried off that wool cap in 1930 New York so well.

 

[ExtremeSail]

What is there to say about this episode that hasn't already been said? It was a blast, love the cuts to Pike's expressions and reactions to things as they develop in the episode; Sevet being whipped; Spock being held back by two officers as he threatens to break Kirk; Spock reconciling his human and Vulcan halves by developing emotional intelligence rather than simply suppressing/ignoring or being overwhelmed by his emotions to unhealthy outcomes; his understanding of Amanda, him speaking up for himself and her, and their final scene. I love that his red line here and in Star Trek 2009 is his mother.

I adore the energy and chemistry of both Spock/T'Pring and Spock/Chapel so, on one hand, Spock and Chapel getting together has me grinning like an idiot. But, on the other hand, I feel so bad for T'Pring; she did everything right but in the end was done dirty. And I'm conflicted on the final scene where Spock sort of... um... cheats(?) on T'Pring with Chapel even though they're "on a break"?

 

[Finn]

T'Pring's dad is oddly un-Vulcan

I felt some Romulan vibes.He kinda looked like that guy with Laris in Picard season one.

T'Pril reminds me so much of Enterprise's vulcan's back in the day. 100 years later and there are still vulcans who are racist against humans.

...and 114 years after this episode still.....

 

[Captain Jollydark]

We have seen that forever in Hollywood. Sally Field playing Tom Hanks' mom a few years after being a potential romantic interest for him, for instance.

In-universe, Federation medical technology is better than ours. Maybe Amanda is just how people in their 60s look.

That's my assumption. It's the future, Humans have gotten great at health and aging.

 

[Jedi Marso]

T'Pril reminds me so much of Enterprise's vulcan's back in the day. 100 years later and there are still vulcans who are racist against humans.

These guest star Vulcans do have a serious problem presenting as Vulcans, for the most part. I'm assuming most actors associate being totally wooden with 'bad acting', and as such try to nuance their way through it, but they just come off as being emotional. They need to learn that being as wooden as a wooden indian is the winning strategy when guest-starring as a Vulcan.

 

[Jedi Marso]

Am I the only one getting the vibe that the father is "Whooped" using a human term.

I kept waiting for him to speak up in the end and put his wife in her place, so to speak. At least Spock showed some backbone.

 

[Okmyx]

Better than last week. The VR wall looked rather fake then

It was supposed to look like a VR wall last week. They were going for a TOS feel.

 

[Unique]

Am I the only one getting the vibe that the father is "Whooped" using a human term.

He wriggles feebly under her boot. Spock should be concerned about heredity and training, here.

 

[tomalak301]

The last couple of weeks I was worried that Strange New Worlds was entering into a bit of a Sophomore slump. The episodes just weren't as great and I really did feel like last week's episode was a bit of a Mess.

Charades righted that ship and this is my favorite episode of the season. I really do think this series succeeds at providing depth to Spock and what it really means to be half human half Vulcan. In a way, this episode reminded me a little of a cross between Voyager's Riddles and DS9's You are Cordially Invited. Ethan Peck is actually becoming the quintessential Spock for me, even over Nimoy, and I know that is blasphemous to some. However, what he is doing with the character from Discovery to now has been sensational, and he was terrific here. Also, this episode provided much more depth to Amanda that made her probably one of the most strongest characters in all of Star Trek. To understand what she goes through and still be able to love a Vulcan is great strength and very much endearing.

I think the only thing I didn't like about this episode was Spock's behavior towards T'Pring and the feeling that we aren't going to see her again. Spock did her Dirty, but I loved that character, especially when she wasn't really around Spock but seeing her professional life. I'm sad this episode seemed to wrap up that arc and this whole thing with Spock and Chapel I guess was supposed to happen but to do it at T'Pring's expense kind of rubs me the wrong way.

However, this episode was strong enough to let me overlook that, and after the last two weeks I didn't want to come here and be a hater. I also really liked the non-corporeal beings and the visual effects of them actually looking alien. It reminded me of Species 10-C.

I gave this episode a 9.

 

[Jedi Marso]

Actually, I'm starting to worry about the last season of SNW, whenever that is. Someday all of these bills are going to come due. M'Benga's going to get himself demoted, for instance.

Meh.

Time Traveling Romulan!

The show runners just need to concede the point that this is a slightly altered timeline, and run with it. It also explains why M'Benga is older than he should be and CMO aboard a starship when he was merely a member of the medical staff years later.

Roger Korby was such a putz in TOS that it was hard to see what even the wooden, repressed Chapel saw in him back then. Maybe in this altered timeline, things go differently. They've got a winning formula here- the last thing holding them back is continuing to claim this is the TOS timeline. Cut that tie, let loose the hounds, set course for 'thataway', and this becomes potentially the best Trek show we've ever had.

Based on the Khan "supposed to happen 30 years ago" reveal, anything can deviate from TOS cause history has been changed already. Spock can marry Chapel, Tea'Bring can ditch Stonn, M'Benga can remain CMO with Bones not even appearing...

I think that needs to happen now, as mentioned above. SNW becomes Strange New Timeline...

 

[Captain Jollydark]

But, on the other hand, I feel so bad for T'Pring; she did everything right but in the end was done dirty. And I'm conflicted on the final scene where Spock sort of... um... cheats(?) on T'Pring with Chapel even though they're "on a break"?

Oh yeah. This is gonna get so messy. Even though I love the tumble into foolishness by Spock and Christine, I feel for T'Pring. And it's very evident from this episode that her motivations for her terrible actions in the future were never about his human side.

 

[Okmyx]

Loved this episode. Funny, deep, a catastrophe, discourse on a social problem, emotional, good visuals, it's all here in one episode.

 

[Captain Jollydark]

So, have the Vulcans never detected a giant vortexy rupture of space-time in their own system?

Aha! Yeah, I had to dismiss that question from my mind to get on with the episode. Hard to believe they hadn't investigated 100's of years prior. But, (as someone said upthread) time to activate the handwavium.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

In-universe, Federation medical technology is better than ours. Maybe Amanda is just how people in their 60s look.

There are ALOT of women in their 60's who IRL would kill to look like Mia Kirshner @ (48 y/o)